PRINTED FROM OXFORD SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE (www.oxfordscholarship.com). (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2020. All Rights Reserved. An individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a monograph in OSO for personal use. date: 07 June 2020

Adam Smith on Virtue, Prosperity, and Justice

Adam Smith on Virtue, Prosperity, and Justice

Chapter:

(p.72)
Chapter 4 Adam Smith on Virtue, Prosperity, and Justice

Source:

Economics and the Virtues

Author(s):

James R. Otteson

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198701392.003.0005

Adam Smith is usually considered to be a central figure in the political–economic tradition of liberalism, but recent scholars have debated whether he is an adherent to the “classical” or “progressive” versions of liberalism. This chapter outlines Smith’s conception of the origins and nature of virtue, focusing on his conception of justice in particular. After laying out his admittedly thin conception of justice, the chapter offers several “Smithian” reasons supporting it. It then considers a social-justice objection to Smith’s position, and argues that the social-justice objection does not defeat it. The chapter concludes that Smith offered a defensible and integrated conception of economics and virtue that places him in the classical liberal camp.

Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.

PRINTED FROM OXFORD SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE (www.oxfordscholarship.com). (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2020. All Rights Reserved. An individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a monograph in OSO for personal use. date: 07 June 2020